Giuliani, McCain will skip Iowa straw poll

MANCHESTER, N.H. — An Iowa straw poll that traditionally has served as an early benchmark in the Republican presidential nomination race lost much of its luster Wednesday, as first Rudolph Giuliani and then John McCain decided not to compete in it.

The straw poll, scheduled for Aug. 11, in past campaigns has drawn tens of thousands of Republicans to a state party gathering in Ames. But candidates vying to run well have had to spend large sums of money to transport supporters to cast ballots at the gathering.

Giuliani's campaign, which has not emphasized grass-roots organizing in Iowa and faced a potential setback in the straw poll, announced Wednesday it would not actively participate in the event. Hours later, the McCain camp followed suit.

In previous straws polls, poor showings -- especially by those struggling to break into the top tier of contenders -- diminished some candidates' viability. In 1999, lackluster results in Ames helped end the campaigns of former Vice President Dan Quayle and Lamar Alexander (now a U.S. senator from Tennessee).

But Giuliani calculated that skipping the poll would not significantly undermine his standing as leader in national polls among GOP-leaning voters.

With Giuliani and McCain quitting the straw poll -- and with former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is expected to enter the race soon, also likely to bypass it -- only Mitt Romney among the top GOP candidates would be committed to showing up in Ames.

Advisers to Giuliani and McCain said both still would compete aggressively in the Iowa caucuses, which kick off the Republican nomination race. The caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 14, but the date could be advanced.